Teach To Obey

Restart

Restart: Living a Faithful Life as a New Follower of King Jesus is my latest book designed for the new Christ-follower. It is a discipling tool that can be used by churches to help establish, with a new believer, four key principles (which I call starting blocks) that will help them begin to faithfully follow Jesus.

Learn the Teachings of Jesus

The first starting block is that the new believer position themselves on the teachings of Jesus found in the Scriptures. This first chapter establishes the Bible as the authority for our lives, while giving practical steps and encouragement to begin to learn Scripture.

Recommended Resources:

  • The Bible Project (bibleproject.com). Online video library that gives visual illustrations to aid in understanding books of the Bible and biblical concepts.
  • 30 Days to Understanding the Bible by Max Anders. An easy-to-use book that will guide you through understanding the Bible’s major story and themes in a month. Purchase on Amazon.
  • Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. A dictionary, but for the Bible. Gives simple, easy-to-understand definitions for the people, places, and concepts seen in Scripture. Purchase on Amazon.

Live the Life of Jesus

The second starting block is positioning oneself on the life of Jesus. This chapter explores the set-apart life that we are called to live as Jesus’ followers. It emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering believers, but also gives practical steps to practice spiritual disciplines.

Recommended Resources:

  • Core 52: A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide to Build Your Bible IQ in a Year by Mark E. Moore (core52.org).
  • Prayer and Fasting: Moving with the Spirit to Renew our Minds, Bodies, and Churches by David Roadcup and Michael Eagle. A practical guidebook for getting started with prayer and fasting. Purchase on Amazon.

Participate in the Body of Jesus

The third starting block is centered around the body of Jesus, which is His church. The chapter focuses on what the church is, the role the church plays in our discipleship and growth, and how to find a faithful church. The chapter ends with practical steps on how to get engaged with a faithful local church.

Recommended Resources:

  • Spiritual Gifts Assessment Test. Take a spiritual gifts assessment test to discover your spiritual gift. Lifeway Resource provides this test. You can find many more versions by searching online.

Share in the mission of Jesus

The final staring block is the mission of Jesus in making disciples of all nations. This chapter focuses on the central mission that Christy has given each of His followers, what a disciple is and how to effectively share the gospel with others. The chapter ends with practical steps on how to begin to share your faith. A gospel presentation is also provided as a helpful tool to share with others, you can also check that out here.

Recommended Resources:

  • Cults, World Religions, and the Occult: What They Teach, How to Respond to Them by Kenneth Boa. Buy on Amazon.
  • “Sharing Our Personal Spiritual Biographies” from Starting a Discipleship Group by Bobby Harrington. Download this free e-book from Renew.org and work through pages eleven and twelve to develop your personal testimony. 

Don’t have the book yet? Buy it here on Amazon

Purchase Restart

If you are a church who is interested in using Restart as a discipleship tool for new Christ-followers, please contact us at teachtoobeyministries@gmail.com for a discounted rate.

What others are saying:

Dylan Bjorklund has written a thoughtful and practical handbook that addresses a need most churches neglect-discipling the new Christian. Dylan has identified the most important concepts a new Christian should embrace to become a mature Christian. Particularly helpful is Dylan’s approach to helping a new Christian become an evangelist, leading others to Christ. This book could be used for a new members class, small group, or for personal study.  You and your church could greatly benefit from this book.

–J. Michael Shannon, retired preacher and ministry professor

RESTART is an excellent resource to instruct and encourage Christians on growing in Christ and becoming more mature disciples of Christ. Undoubtedly it should be used to provide new believers with a resource that is biblical, practical, and understandable as they arise from the waters of baptism and begin walking in, “the newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4) 

However, many current believers have never been formally discipled in the “Teaching them everything I have commanded you…” element of Christ’s Great Commission. RESTART would be a good tool to assist these brethren in developing spiritual maturity. 

Employing a conversational style for his writing, Dylan Bjorklund has given us a book which is easy to read, and it conveys a gracious and sympathetic tone essential for someone unfamiliar or unaccustomed to the way of Christ. Therefore, I happily recommend RESTART.

–Kerry Allen, president, Louisville Bible College

Perhaps oddly, I have often thought to myself, “If I were to convert to a different religion, I would have no idea what to do or where to begin.” And with more and more Americans seemingly growing up without a rich theological and biblical heritage from which to pull from, new converts to Christianity face a very similar challenge: How do I follow Jesus today? Where do I start? In Restart: Living a Faithful Life as a New Follower of King Jesus, Dylan skillfully blends the biblical and the practical, the theological and the concrete. With a pastoral heart, Dylan offers the new disciple of Jesus a clear, concise, yet actionable book that simplifies the journey of following Jesus. Ministers everywhere be helped by this resource. As a minister myself, I’d feel confident giving this book to any new believer in Christ!

–Emerson Kennedy, Teaching Minister, The Creek